By Sunny Simon
When you stop whining and take positive action, you start winning. It’s just that simple I thought as my client related the story of how unhappy she was in her current job. Realizing she had some venting to do I let her tell me all that was unjust about her work life. When she ran out of steam, I took over giving her the cold hard truth. All the whining in the world won’t change a thing.
I’m not saying my client is a world class complainer. The truth is, sometimes we all fall into the trap of spewing a lot of negativity. A friend of mine does that when he drives. Yes, it is annoying when drivers neglect to use their turn signals and exhibit other poor driving skills, but a running commentary as we travel from Point A to Point B takes the joy out of being a passenger in his car.
Okay so sometimes we nitpick over trivial things. What really holds us back from moving forward on larger issues, is the amount of energy we waste complaining. I’m guessing I was not the first person to hear of my client’s displeasure over her job. Perhaps her friends heard about it at happy hour, her husband and children over dinner and maybe her hair stylist got a dose of it too. She was giving away her power by ruminating over it on a daily basis rather than dealing with the issue.
Why do we complain incessantly? It’s just a lot easier to let the world know we are being wronged rather than expending the effort to make it right. Bottom line, my client had two choices. She either adjusted to the culture of the company, or began a job search. Both paths demanded time and effort. After hearing all the gritty details, my best advice to her was cutting her losses and finding an environment where her core value’s match that of the company. She received my counsel with a heavy sigh. It was a reality she had to face. Once she made peace with a plan, her world (and that of others around her) would improve.
Now, for a moment of reflection: How about you? Is there something bugging you that you do nothing but grouse about? Do something about it this week. Make it a priority, no more stalling. Stop the whining and begin winning again.
Sunny Simon is the owner of Raise the Bar High Life and Career Coaching and the author of the blog, www.lifeonthesunnyside.net
